//------------------------------// // Ch 1 Darkness // Story: The Evil That Lives Among Us // by VampWolf //------------------------------// “Twilight can you hear us?” “Who’s there?” “Twilight wake up. Come on sugarcube please wake…” “Was that Aj?” Twilight tried to scream out for her but all she could manage was a hoarse cough. Her throat felt constricted and dry. She looked around and saw only darkness, pure cold unrelenting darkness. Twilight had no idea where she was, her only hope was to move forward. She tried to stand but her legs just wouldn’t respond. Twi tried again using all her strength but, she was pushed down by some unseen force. She tried to scream again only succeeding in another hoarse cough. Tears started to stream down her face, the fear and uncertainty of her whereabouts slowly crushing her. “Twilight stand up when being called!” Twilight looked up to see Princess Luna Standing in front of her, the room filled with bright stars that dissipated the darkness. “Twilight you have work to do and you cannot complete your task by taking a nap,” Luna said. “Twi! Twilight! TWILIGHT!” “Do you hear that Twilight. Your friends are calling you and you shouldn’t keep them waiting.” Twilight just looked up at Princess Luna and stared into her eyes. Twilight could see fear and anger and uncertainty in the princess’s eyes. “Twilight dear you must wake up, for evil forces are at work.” The darkness was starting to consume the stars that lit up her dark prison. Twilight tried to scream again but to no avail. She reached out for Luna but the princess was no longer there. The darkness kept closing in faster and faster, consuming everything in its path. Twi struggled to escape the vast darkness enclosing around her. She could feel consciousness slipping, but she faintly remembers Luna pushing her further into the darkness. Why? For Twilight time seemed to go on forever. No light, no warmth, no friends, just… space. Every so often she could here someone’s voice piercing through the darkness but, she couldn’t reach them. Twi felt hopeless as she drifted along,a way out now seemed impossible. “Twi….” Sigh,Twilight thought, There’s that voice again. “TWILI….” Hmmm. I don’t remember the voice being so loud. “TWILIGHT!” Ok now I know that voice from somewhere…!! Twilight looked were she thought the sound was coming from and a bright light shown through the veil. Without thinking she used what was left of her magic to propel herself towards the light and…… *GASP!* Her vision blurred as she tried to focus on the object in front of her. Still woozy she could make out the shape of three ponies standing in front of her. One of the ponies grabbed her and squeezed her until she thought she was going to pop. The other two just stood there not saying a word. As Twilight’s vision began to focus in on her surroundings she noticed she was in some sort of hut. There were weird masks and pictures on the walls, and there were shelves full of some sort of bottles filled with different colored liquids. In the middle of the room was a big black cauldron ……wait a sec. “Zecora!?!” Twi exclaimed. “Aye child tis me. The only zebra you know who saved you from catastrophe. For monsters there were that attacked your friends, and sadly this is where your true journey begins.” “So then is everyone de…dea…” It made Twi sick just thinking about the possibility that everyone she knew was dead. She didn’t even want to consider this possibility; it was all just too weird. What had happened anyway…. *Gasp* “Where’s Applejack?!? Is she ok? Did she make it?!?! Is she mhmhmpph” Twilight was silenced by an amber colored hoof. Since Twi had been out for a while it took her a while to register what just happened. “Applejack?” Twi said timidly. “Yea Twilight, it’s me,” Aj said. Tears streamed down Twilight’s face as she hugged her friend. “Aj … I… I thought you were dead” “Well I’m here ain’t I? Unless I’m a ghost” Suddenly Twi was tackled by a blur of pink and was assaulted by the smell of various sweets. “Omigosh did someone say ghosts? Don’t worry I’ll save you from the ghosts. In fact just laugh at ghosts it makes them much more bearable. Ow wad did I land on anyway. I tink I hurd my nose. HUUUUUUHHHH TWILIGHT YOUR AWAKE!!!!!” “Hey Pinkie,” Twilight said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. “So Twilight whatcha dream about? I bet it was a fun dream cuz you were out of it for like days. I had to drag you and Aj here by myself and let me tell you, you guys should lie off of the pancakes and apples they’re very filling but you should definitely eat cake. Oh we should get some cake. CAKE ANYONE?” Pinkie said happily. Twilight grabbed Pinkie’s tail before she rushed off again. “You said I had been out for day’s right? How many days was I out and … what happened?” “Well I wouldn’t say days, more like a week,” Pinkie said. “A WEEK?!?” Twilight nearly fainted in shock. An entire week had gone by and Celestia knows what was happening. Twilight sat back down on the bed so she could regain her balance. “So what’s happened since I’ve been out?” Twilight asked. “Well therewasammmpphhh” “Pinkie ah think ah should explain this un,” Applejack said. “While you were out Equestria has been taken over by Xanthus” “Xanthus? Who in Equestria is that?” Twilight asked. Zecora answered, “Xanthus my child was only a legend. She is forged of loved one’s blood that lives in the present. By consuming the blood from the one that was sought an ancient evil power will be unleashed in thought. But not until today did I think the legend rang true, for believing in disaster in not something one must do.” “Ok but that doesn’t explain what happened while I was out cold, FOR A WEEK,” Twi said impatiently. “Now calm down sugarcube and let me explain,” Applejack said. “While you were out all of Equestria was overrun by what Zecora calls, Barghest’s, or Hellhounds. They were led into the cities by their leader Karkadann. He is a pure black unicorn with yellow hooves and eyes that are as red as Granny Smith’s ripest apple’s.” “Wait a second how on earth do you know what he looks like?” Twi asked skeptically. Zecora answered, “Young Applejack was gathering herbs for me at the edge of the Everfree forest when Karkadann and a band of hellhounds made quite a big ruckus. Thankfully she walked through some poison joke and became very small when Karkadann spoke.” “He was hootin and hollerin about how he wiped out Ponyville without even breakin a sweat, Aj said. “I wanted to beat him to a pulp right then and there but I guess it was a good thing that I ended up turning tiny again. If he had found me I doubt there woulda been much ah coulda done.” “Ok so that explains what happened to Ponyville but what happened to everypony else?” Twi asked. “I mean they can’t have just vanished into thin air like that, and what happened to Rarity, and Spike, and Fluttershy...” Twi stumbled backwards as her vision blurred and a sharp pain shot through her skull. “Now don’t go pushin yourself Twilight. You’ve been out fer a long time and ah think you should rest a bit before you go runnin off tryin to save anypony. Plus we don’t even know what were up against and our friends are missin so now isn’t the time to go rushin into things without takin some time to think.” Applejack said. Pinkie helped Twi back into Zecora’s bed with a bit too much enthusiasm. Twi’s head was spinning with everything that had happened while she was out. Ponyville is in ruins, all her friends are missing, an evil army has risen, and Princess Luna appeared in her dream only to push her farther into the darkness. Twi’s world was crumbling around her and all she could do is ask the same question over and over. Why? The maze of tunnels that made up Canterlot’s dungeons were dark and treacherous but one such figure traversed it like it had been born there. The torches on the walls gave only enough light for that small portion of the wall, but its pale yellow eyes pierced through the darkness leaving nothing that was to be unseen. The figure rounded a corner that opened up into a large chamber were the only light to be seen was that of the flames from a fire in the middle of the room. “So I hear your friends are all dead. We overrun Equestria now I can’t think of a better pastime than speaking with you. Covered in blood like almost makes me want to do dirty things to you but that’s not something one such as myself should do considering how hard your little soldier fought for you,” it said with a voice cold as ice. One of the torches from the wall flew over to the place where the figure was speaking. “You think I believe your lies that they’re dead?” The blood soaked mare spit blood in her captor’s direction. “They’re a hell of a lot stronger than you give them credit. In fact why don’t you take your sorry ass back to the hellhole you came out of KARKADANN!” “Yes,” Karkadann said. “You truly are a Rarity. The sight of blood running down your matted mane soaking into your soft white fur makes me shiver. Unfortunately your little spitting party cost you.” Using his magic he pulled a white hot iron from middle of the fire. Slowly he carved into Rarities hide the heat causing the wound to seal up as soon as it was made. Her screams drowned out any other and caused those that could hear its terrible pain to cringe in fear. Karkadann moved forward to taste his unconscious captive’s blood. His eyes glowed ever brighter with a sadistic light as the sheer enjoyment from this repulsive act caused him to tingle with excitement for his next victim. “Goodnight my dear Rarity. I shall enjoy another arousing chat with you tomorrow but for now my bedchambers wait and I shan’t keep my missus waiting.” Karkadann left the chamber satisfied with another brutal torture. Equestria has truly fallen but a small spark of hope remains. As Karkadann leaves a small purple dragon races to Rarities side. Whimpers of sadness that could break anyponies heart were heard only by the walls that enclosed them. The small dragon reached into Rarities purple mane to find a purple letter addressed to Twilight Sparkle. The room filled with darkness as the fire died out but a green flame released the letter to ride the wind, all the while hoping that all was not lost.